Human Trafficking In Australia

Superior Essays
For example, for participants who believed that trafficked migrants shouldn’t be afforded the same working conditions as Australians, were less likely to be interested in their human rights. Almost half of the participants believed that people claim they are victims of human trafficking to avoid deportation. This could be attributed to confusion over the difference between human trafficking and people smuggling. Having said that, most participants agreed that anyone can be a victim of human trafficking, including men, women and children. It is clear the many Australians have misconceptions about human trafficking that have been influenced by the media and the topic of people smuggling. Educating the public with the facts, can change attitudes towards trafficked persons and can lead to more successful convictions (Australian Institute of Criminology, 2012). Sexual exploitation, like forced labour, can be defined, as a person being coerced or deceived into working in the sex industry, through prostitution, slavery or debt bondage (repaying a debt through labour or other services) (Australian Red Cross, 2013, p. 8). Trafficked sex workers often are unaware of what they are agreeing to and the risks involved. for example, they may be told they will be dancing at bars, which is not the case. Due to the large amounts of money that they are promised, over such a short period of time is enticing, especially when they are recruited by friends or family members who they trust (which is extremely common) (Weitzer, 2007, p. 454). People can be trafficked by highly organised criminal organisations, but it is unknown how common these are, due to little convictions. Many victims are unaware of how difficult it will be to pay off a debt, especially when traffickers change conditions of ‘agreements’ (Australian Institute of Criminology, 2012). It is difficult to distinguish the number of victims to sexual exploitation as some sex workers that migrate to Australia, do so on a voluntary basis (Weitzer, 2007, p. …show more content…
453).
One argument, is that the criminalisation of sex work has detrimental effects on trafficked persons, who are wanting to leave the industry. The stigma that is still attached to sex work, makes it harder for victims to exit the industry. Many feel ashamed and worry they will be punished for the work they have been involved in. Criminalising the sex industry can cause not just voluntary workers, but also trafficked sex workers, to go ‘underground’ which means they have less support and are likely to be exploited even further (Weitzer, 2007, p. 453).
In contrast, there is the prospect of legalising prostitution (as it is in Australia). However, a criticism of legalising prostitution, is that it would make trafficking people for sexual exploitation, worse than it already is. It would increase the number of humans being trafficked and in turn, exploiting more women. It is argued that without legislation in place to prevent sexual exploitation, attitudes towards women will remain backwards (as sexual objects). Legalising prostitution under the right conditions, can reduce human trafficking. One example of this can be seen in Denmark; where legalising prostitution reduced human trafficking. If the government is the organisation in charge of regulating the sex industry, human traffickers have less power and control over the victims. When sex work is criminalised, it attracts large organised crime syndicates, which create huge amounts of profits (Weitzer, 2007, p. 457). Although legalising prostitution can reduce sex trafficking, it is not problem-free. In 2000, a UN protocol was introduced, it aimed to; prevent the trafficking of vulnerable people as well as ensure punishment was given to persons/groups, involved in organising or supporting human trafficking. This was in some ways a positive protocol as the previous one focused primarily on prostitution. This recognition was effective, as it clearly labelled human trafficking as illegal, in turn it created stronger border protection in more developed countries. However, this cannot be the case for all countries due to uncontrolled borders and corrupt officials, that allow unauthorised (and trafficked) persons through borders (Kempadoo, Sanghera, & B, 2016, pp. 11-12). This highlights one of the main challenges in convicting human traffickers, it is not just a domestic issue, but more commonly occurs on an international scale. Due to the transnational nature of human trafficking, it is extremely difficult to prosecute against (David, 2008, p.

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